The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has warned that the simultaneous absence of President Bola Tinubu and Vice‑President Kashim Shettima from Nigeria is “a very dangerous precedent.” The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the statement on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, raising questions about who is constitutionally exercising presidential authority in the country.
President Tinubu has been out of Nigeria since 30 August, a trip the Presidency has described as a “working vacation.” Vice‑President Shettima departed Abuja on 20 September to represent the President at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. While the two leaders are abroad, the Presidency says Tinubu remains in contact with officials and continues to direct government affairs.
The government has also said that Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, will represent the President at some official engagements while Shettima attends the UN. Abdullahi questioned whether Akume has any constitutional authority to act on behalf of the President in the absence of both Tinubu and Shettima, asking whether the chain of succession as spelled out by the Nigerian Constitution allows the SGF to become acting president.
“Is SGF Akume now the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Is that what they are telling us? Is it the chain of succession that is spelt out by the Nigerian Constitution?”
Abdullahi accused the Federal Government of ignoring the concerns of Nigerians and the Constitution, warning that the arrangement could set a precedent with implications beyond the present administration. “They insult the sensibility of Nigerians, they insult the Constitution,” he said. “What they are doing is dangerous, and they should realise that this will end one day. They are setting a very dangerous precedent; nobody is in charge of Nigeria now.”
The ADC spokesman also rejected the description of Tinubu’s absence as a “working vacation,” arguing that the Constitution does not allow a Nigerian president to relocate to another country while governance continues through informal arrangements. He called on the National Assembly to reconvene from its recess and address the constitutional questions surrounding the President’s absence, alleging that lawmakers would not take action because of their closeness to the Tinubu administration.
The controversy comes as the Presidency insists that Shettima is carrying Tinubu’s full mandate at the UN General Assembly and that the President’s absence has not affected the running of government.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
